Author, Professor Helen Benedict to Speak on Harsh Reality for Women in the Military

The Luann Dummer Center for Women and Students for Justice and Peace will co-sponsor a lecture by Helen Benedict, author, journalist and professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

Helen Benedict

Held on the International Day of Peace, Wednesday, Sept. 21, her topic is “Women on the Front Line: War, Trauma and Remorse.” The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium. This event is free and open to the public; a reception and book signing will follow the talk.

Benedict is author of The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq (2009). Based on countless interviews with soldiers and vets, the book chronicles the harsh reality for women who join the U.S. military, including isolation, misogyny and sexual assault.

Focusing on women in the U.S. military, Benedict will give examples to explain why and how war stories are different when they are told by women soldiers. She will discuss the experiences of women at war and what they have to say about war, violence and peace.